preparing soil under old concrete shed base
 

Hi

Ive just broken up a concrete shed base (around 1.5m x 3m) and want to use the soil underneath for planting. Obvioulsy the act of breaking up the concrete has meant that a lot of concrete rubble and dust been thrown into the soil.

the soil was quite compacted, i removed as much of the concrete and stones from the top, then forked it over to about depth of a garden fork.

At this stage measuring the ph it was heavily alkaline. This could be the natural ph, or it could be due to the concrete.

It was still quite compacted, so ive added sand to it. Also added a lot of well rotted horse manure.

How do I go about reducing the ph, to make the soil slightly acidic?

will the concrete mixed in the soil continue to cause problems no matter what i do? Or will adding acid to the soil balance out things and fix the problem?

also what duration of time do i need to wait before thinking of planting in it?

many thanks for any assistance.

Hi rajah, yes, the concrete will have had some bearing on the ph and also the fact that the soil has been under this concrete for awhile will also tend to make it more alkaline. I feel that your natural ph must be high, have you checked the ph of the soil away from the shed base to compare ? Its very hard to change basic ph levels and I'd suggest that you plant things which like lime. Having done what youve done re the sand and FYM, you can plant when ever you want, theres no reason to leave it.
regards, Lannerman.

Hi,
Yes ive just finished testing various other parts of the garden. they too are around neutral to alkaline.
So perhaps the concrete isnt having so much effect on the alkanity of the soil under the concrete.

Ive a mind to added more fertiliser and a few bags of topsoil to the underlying soil before adding plants to it.

thanks for the feedback.

preparing soil under old concrete shed base
 

In article ,
rajah wrote:

lannerman;958024 Wrote:
Hi rajah, yes, the concrete will have had some bearing on the ph and
also the fact that the soil has been under this concrete for awhile will
also tend to make it more alkaline. I feel that your natural ph must be
high, have you checked the ph of the soil away from the shed base to
compare ? Its very hard to change basic ph levels and I'd suggest that
you plant things which like lime. Having done what youve done re the
sand and FYM, you can plant when ever you want, theres no reason to
leave it.
regards, Lannerman.

Hi,
Yes ive just finished testing various other parts of the garden. they
too are around neutral to alkaline.
So perhaps the concrete isnt having so much effect on the alkanity of
the soil under the concrete.

Ive a mind to added more fertiliser and a few bags of topsoil to the
underlying soil before adding plants to it.

thanks for the feedback.

Plant alfalfa. It likes neutral to slightly alkaline, fixes nitrogen,
puts down deep roots, and will be a great benefit to whatever follows if
you grow it for a while and turn it under.

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Nice post and i like this post as a new member keep on sharing with me.

The standard measurement of alkalinity and acidity is known as pH. The pH scale ranges from 0 to 14. A pH of 7 is neutral, which is neither acid nor alkaline. Below 7 is acid and above 7 is alkaline. A pH of 5.5 is 10 times more acidic than a pH of 6.5. Conversely, a pH of 8.5 is 10 times more alkaline than a pH of 7.5.

Most horticultural plants grow best in soils with a pH between 6 (slightly acid) and 7.5 (slightly alkaline). But before attempting to raise or lower your soil's pH, you should first conduct a soil test to determine your current soil pH.

The pH of highly acidic soils can be raised by incorporating limestone into the soil. Hydrated lime works quicker, but over liming is more likely. Wood ash will also raise the soil pH and make the soil more alkaline. Do not apply wood ash, limestone, hydrated lime, or other liming materials to alkaline soils. Modifying a soil's pH is usually a slow process and may require repeat treatments. It is often most effective to use a combination of treatments. However, don't expect a quick fix or a miracle cure.